Suspenders.



"no. 635,959. Patented Oct. 3|, I899. w. FREEMAN.

SUSPENDERS.

(Application filed Aug. 24, 1899.),

m5 Modal.)

IVVITNESSES I IA/(yV NTOR NITED STATES "PATENT Fries.

WILLIAM FREEMAN, OF NEI/V YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO THE HARRIS SUSPENDERCOMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

SUSPENDERS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 635,959, dated October31, 1899. Application filed August 24, 1899. Serial No. 728,332. (Nomodel.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM FREEMAN, of New York city, in the county ofNew York and State of New York, have invented certain new and usefulImprovementsin Suspenders; and I do hereby declare the following to be afull, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enableothers skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use thesame.

My invention relates to an improvement in suspenders; and it consists incertain details in the construction of the back thereof, as will be morefully described, and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a view of a pair of suspendersembodying my improvement. Fig. 2 is a sectional view through thecord-guide. Fig. 3 is a detached View of the cord-guides, and Figs. 3,4:, and 5 are views of modified constructions.

1 represents the ordinary shoulder-straps, each of which is provided atits front end with a buckle 2, by which they may be adjusted, and eachshoulder-strap carries at its looped front end, formed by turning theshoulderstraps onto themselves, a metal loop 3, carrying thebuttonhole-cords 4. Each shoulderstrap is provided near its rear endwith a loop carrying the eyelet 6, the extreme end of the shoulder-strapprojecting beyond the eyelet, forming a cushion for the latter, and thuspreventing the latter from coming in contact with the shirt of thewearer. A cord 7 passes through the eyelets on the rear ends of theshoulder-straps and is provided with looped ends 8 for the attachment tothe rear buttons of the trousers. The top, sides, and bottom sections ofthis cord 7 are connected by the guiding-frame 9. This frame 9 iscomposed of two short metallic strips 10, each having an enlargedcenter, the two strips being pivotally secured together by riveting, asshown in section at 3 in Fig. 2 of the drawings. Each strip is alsoprovided at its opposite ends with the rigid eyes or loops 11, adaptedto receive the several sections of the cord 7, as shown.

The cord-guide formed by the two pivoted strips is preferably secured toor carries the disk 12, made of leather, fabric, rubber, celluloid, orany other material of sufficient stiffness to retain its shape and atthe same time form a pad or cushion against which the guides rest andwhich prevents contact of the latter with the clothing of the wearer.This cushion is preferably secured to the guide by the pivot whichsecures the strips 10 together, and when the cushion is made of flexiblematerial the outer edges thereof may be secured to the strips at or nearthe outer ends of the latter.

While I have only shown the pad in connection with the constructionshown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3, it should be understood that it may beapplied to the modification hereinafter referred to.

In the use of the device one strip engages the top and bottom sectionsof the cord 7, while the other strip engages the two side sections ofsaid cord, and as the two strips are pivoted together it will be seenthat they are free to move to accommodate themselves to the movements ofthe body of the wearer. The eyes on the ends of these strips are, asbefore stated, rigid with the strips, and hence cannot be turnedinwardly against the body.

This construction of cord-guide, while it permits of the free andunrestricted movements of the cord and permits the latter to follow upthe movements of the shoulderstraps, holds the several sections of theback cord well together, and thus prevents the tendency of theshoulder-straps to creep over the shoulders, as they would if theseveral sections of the back cord were not confined. In use the verticalstrip of the guide, owing to the pull thereon by the upper and lowersections of the back cord, remains vertical, while the transverse strip,which is pivoted to the vertical strip, is free to vibrate and followthe movements of the side sections of the back cord as they follow themovements of the shoulder-straps.

In the construction shown in Fig. 3 the cord, loops, or eyelets areelongated, and instead of employing closed eyelets, as shown in Fig. 1,they are open. This construction permits the cord-guide to be removed atany time.

The construction shown in Fig. 4 discloses a guide in which the ends ofthe loops or eyes are closed by the pivot-pin or rivet.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. A pair of suspenders comprising shoulder-straps, a cord forconnecting the rear ends of the straps to the trousers and a cordguiding frame engaging the four sections of the cord and comprising twoconnected metal strips, each having an eye or loop integral with eachend.

2. A pair of suspenders comprising shoulder-straps, a cord attached tothe rear ends of the straps for connecting same to the trousers and theguiding-frame consisting of two metal strips centrally pivoted together,each strip having an eye or loop at each end, substantially as setforth.

3. A pair of suspenders comprising shoulder-straps, a cord attached tothe rear ends of the straps for connecting same to the trousers and thecord-guiding frame consisting of two connected metal strips each havingan eye or loop integral with each end, and a cushion or pad secured tosaid frame.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence oftwo subscribing witnesses. 7

WILLIAM FREEMAN.

Witnesses:

WILLIAM S. FoULK CHARLES VON EIFF.

